Head

Genre:DramaHorror

TV Review

The clue is in the title (Head) with this mid-season finale of American Horror Story, and we’ve come to a very neat little conclusion that involves bonding over an outside force; whether it be the Voodoo tribe or a Witch Hunter, it is more important than petty squabbles over who is the next Supreme.

Of course, brushing Fiona’s impending doom to one side for now at least…

Parental relationships have been rather strange this series. Last week we were faced with a bleach enema by Luke’s Bible bashing mother ( I had to go back a few times just to fully understand what was going on there…) and weird incest with Kyle and his earlier in the series. So finally it was nice to see a young Hank and his father bonding over some hunting in the opening to ‘The New Enemy’; until of course you realise they were hunting witches. In a homage to Joss Whedon we are privy to finding out about the secret – and handsomely funded – Witch Hunting organisation from which Hank was sent. But having seemingly fallen in love with Cordelia and struck a deal with Marie, we’re pretty unsure where his loyalties lie. One thing is for sure; the War is definitely coming.

I guess we’ll be finding out Hank’s fate soon enough now that Cordelia has her eye-sight back but has lost all her magical psychic powers. Frances Conroy once again steals the show by inviting over the Witches Council to inform them of her resurrection. Yet our eccentric Myrtle is not as harmless nor as ladylike as she looks and has taken her being burnt at the stake to heart. In a strategic move she decides to bewitch her two former colleagues for their betrayal and takes an eye from each in particularly gruesome use of a mellon-baller (eat your heart out Martha Stewart) before presenting them to Cordelia. Finally, some witchcraft we can get on board with! If Myrtle does not last until the end of the series without being killed again, then they might as well cancel the rest of the season. One might even dare to say she is out-acting Jessica Lange for once but with her relationship taking on a more motherly role to Cordelia, it seems Lange will be ready to steal back the crown.

As for Luke after being shot with a silver bullet last week, Nan is understandably devastated and goes to visit him in a coma. Luke’s mother Joan throws her usual Satan worship monologue only for the girls to explain to her that they are witches and none too forgiving. Nan manages to quell her suffering by telling her that Luke is speaking to her from the beyond and is singing her the lullaby his mother used to sing to him as a child. Nan’s power proves to be a pretty awesome one when she reveals that Luke’s mother actually killed his father after discovering he had a mistress and now Luke knows the truth. Proving that she is every bit as crazy and not as devout as she seems, Luke’s mother is later seen standing over her son with a pillow leading us to make some very ominous assumptions. He’ll be alive again within two episodes, mark my words.

Although juicy, it did get me wondering that if Clairvoyance is one of the Seven Wonders, how Fiona can’t pick up on every thought that her now murderous Coven had planned for her in the previous episode. I guess she’s got bigger problems now she has Kathy Bates’ head in a FedEx box.

Fiona goes to Marie Laveau to confront her about the ‘special delivery’ and warn her of the outside danger but saying as Hank is actually on Marie’s side she is none perplexed at the news. Whilst Marie orders Queenie to burn Madame LaLaurie’s still talking head, Queenie shows signs of remorse taking the head into her care (Yes, it is weird) and teaching LaLaurie about why racism is a terrible, destructive thing. Strange as it is rather moving, LaLaurie may just be able to redeem herself sans body.

Speaking of terrible destructive things, it seems Marie is not actually immune to Hank’s wrath. After torturing by some use of Voodoo (Yes, more magic!), Hank turns up at Marie’s salon in a huge shoot up that leads Queenie to sacrifice herself for Marie in a shock twist. This also solved the conundrum of what happens when Queenie dies. She dies, but she also kills Hank in the process.

This week’s final scene has been one of the best this season with Marie knocking at the door of the Coven only for Fiona to smirk and invite her inside. This alliance isn’t going to be an easy one for but I’m expecting some great scenes once the series resumes as Angela Bassett, Francis Conroy and Jessica Lange are placed within the same four walls. Just magical.

Best Scene: Kathy Bates’ head has some serious acting skills.

Freakiest Scene: Marie Laveau uses her voodoo powers on Hank

What to look forward to next week: The alliance of the Voodoo Queen and The Supreme. Is this a good or bad thing for the Coven to have two enormous ego’s at Miss Robichaux’s?

What not to look forward to: The distinct lack of Luke from this point onwards. I guess we’ll never know what his purpose was until Misty gets her hands on him.